Liquid air turbine



' March 7, 1950 Filed June 24, 1944 I F. OSBORNE 2,499,772

LIQUID AIR TURBINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 EUGENE F awn/2N5,

March 7, 1950 E. F. OSBORNE 2,499,772

LIQUID AIR TURBINE Filed June 24, 1944 5 Sheet-Sheet 2 Inventor EUGENE F. Osaaezvs, I

WW H

March 7, 1950 E. F. OSBORNE 2,499,772

LIQUID AIR TURBINE Filed June 24, 1944 I 5 Sheets-Sheet s r0 MAM/zany v WW El/G-ENE F Oaao/e/vs,

/0 I By I 9 I Inventor March I, 1950 E. F. OSBORNE 2,499,712

LIQUID A R TURBINE Filed June 24, 1944 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor V /0. )'f v Q I,

x2: EUGENE OSEOIENE,

Attorneys Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in turbines, the principal object being to provide a turbine adapted especially to operate using liquid air as its driving medium.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a turbine which eliminates the necessity of utilizing internal combustion or the use of gases produced by internal combustion, thus eliminating, the usual ignition system and also reducing fire hazards.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a turbine operating from liquid air which produces no disagreeable or harmful exhaust fumes.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a turbine which does not make use of combustion but operates at a low temperature, thus conserving various surfaces and other parts which have heretofore been damaged by high heat.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of the following description.

In the drawings- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section view through the improved turbine.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the turbine.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the turbine.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the turbine with the housing in place.

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section through the shaft and showing the compressor wheel in elevation.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the injectors, turbine vanes and hot air orifices.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view through one of the pumps.

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view through the end portion of one of the injectors, the section being taken along line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view through one of the labyrinth packings and shaft.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that the turbine represented is constructed in two sections, although the same will operate in one section or may be of multiple sections. The two sections of this turbine are denoted generally by reference characters 5,5. Each section is composed of a stator 1 and a rotor 8, the stator 'i having inwardly disposed stationary vanes 9 interlapping vanes II] On the rotor 8. Each of the rotors 8 has a huh I I carried by a corresponding portion of an elongated shaft l2.

At the forward end of th turbine is an annular chamber I3, while between the sections 5 and 6 of the turbine is a second annular chamber It to take care of the second section 6 of the turbine.

These sections are substantially alike and the annular chambers l3, M are constructed in the same way. For instance, each chamber has a circumferential pocket l5 therein and the inner wall of this pocket has a p u ali y of Venturi type nozzles l6 therethrough opening into the vane area of therotor in the corresponding sections 5 or 6.

slanting jet pipes I1 project through and are suitably secured to the outer wall of the annular structure and these jet pipes are connected by tubes i8 to a manifold i9 which receives a liquid air suppl by way of a supply pipe 20 for the an nular compartment i3 and a supply pipe 2| for the annular compartment i i. The jet pipes I! contain guide vanes Ila for guiding the jets and produce a swirling efiect.

At the rear end of the section 6 of the turbine is an annular housing 23 secured to the section 6 of the turbine by bolts 50 and closed by a cover plate 37 in which the heating coils 24 are located from which pipes 25, 26 extend to connect to a. hub structure 21 on the front annular compartment is. This hub is hollow and contains a bearing assembly 28 dividin the compartment into two chambers, with one of which the pipe 26 connects, while with the other the pipe 25 connects and in the latter chamber a pump 29, shown in Figure 8, and provided with vanes 29a is provided for drawing lubricant from the other chamber and forcing the same through the tube 25, thus keeping the lubricant in circulation through the bearing 28, pipes 25', 2B and the coil 24. Thus it can be seen that the lubricant is maintained heated at all times and the heat is obtained by a compressor wheel 38 having vanes 3i thereon, this wheel 30 being suitably secured to the shaft l2 at the rear end of the turbine. Alternate vanes 3! have inturned blade extensions 32 which pick up the expanded gas resulting from the use of the liquid air after it has passed through the second section 6 and in forcing the same out and compressing the same produces heat which acts to heat the lubricant circulating in the coil 26.

There is a second coil 33 for furnishin heated lubricant through pipes 34, 35 in a like manner to a hub 36 on a cover plate 31 at the rear of the turbine, this hub also being hollow and containing a ball bearing assembly 38 dividing the interior of the hub into a pair of compartments from one of which lubricant is drawn through the bearing 38 by a pump 39 and forced into the pipe 35 for maintaining this lubricant in circuit and always to a certain degree warm.

Labyrinth-type packing 40 is provided at each hub 21, 36.

Warm air moves by way of conduits 42, 43 from the annular housing 23 to the annular chambers l3, l4 and this hot air mixes with the liquid air emanating from the injectors II at the Venturi type nozzle I. to produce the resulting gas having the desired effect onthe vanes of the turbine sections.

It is preferable that the inner face of the housing 23, at the exhaust end of the turbine section 8 be provided with openings 23a so as to exhaust some of the exhaust air.

The entire turbine is provided with a housing ll open at its forward central portion as at I. The forward wall a of the annular housing 23 (see Figure 1) has elongated exhaust ports 23a therein. The purpose of the exterior housing It is to prevent icing on the turbine assembly. By directing the flow of the exhaust from the ports 23a over the turbine in a forward direction as is apparent in Figure 1 and allowing the exhaust to escape through the opening 55, it is possible to prevent any air from the atmosphere from contacting the exterior of the turbine thus preventing icing on the exterior of the turbine. As the exhaust air is substantially 100% free of moisture there is substantially no possibility of icing on the exterior of the turbine as the exhaust is released into the housing 54.

In the operation of the turbine, it is to be understood that the machine is powered by the release of energy upon the return of liquid air to the gaseous state and its resulting expansion. The potential energy of liquid air is transformed to mechanical kinetic energy by setting the liquid air in motion and allowing it to expand, the rotor of the turbine being responsive to this action.

As the liquid air is admitted through the injector jet pipe I! along the vanes 29 which produce a swirling effect the Venturi nozzles I6 pro- .vide for the introduction of gaseous air at high speed of the heated air at the point where the liquid air is introduced, thereby adding to the speed at which conversion from the liquid to the gaseous states takes place and to the efficiency of the jets. The mixture of liquid and gaseous air is directed against the rotor blades at the proper angle either by the jets in the first section of the turbine or by the curved stationary blades in the second section.

The gases passing through the blades of the first section are emptied into a chamber where they join the newly injected air of the second section. From this chamber the gases are directed by the stationary blades against the rotating blades and thence on through the turbine in a conventional manner.

After the gases have passed through the last row of blades, a part of it is diverted into the rotary air compressor and the remainder is allowed to escape into the exhaust chamber formed by the outer shell. These latter gases move around the stator walls to the exit opening about the main shaft where they join the atmosphere. This outer exhaust compartment prevents the condensation and freezing of any atmospheric moisture on those parts of the engine that operate at low temperatures.

The blades of the air compressor impeller are so constructed that upon rotation with the main shaft they draw that portion of the spent gases to be compressed into the impeller where further action of the blades force (by centrifugal force) the air into the annular (hot air under compression) chamber.

Only air from the turbine exhaust (air free of moisture) may be used in the heating process. Moisture will condense and freeze in the low operating temperatures of this engine, therefore, it cannot be admitted.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a multistage turbine for use of liquid air as a power fluid, a casing, a stator and a rotor provided with blades, a circular chamber filled with gaseous air at the admission end of the turbine with series of nozzles of varying cross section between the said circular chamber and said admission end of the turbine, means for supplying liquid air, a liquid air manifold near the admission end of said turbine, jet tubes for injecting the liquid air, each jet tube passing through the circular chamber and ending near the narrowest cross section of the nozzles leading from said chamber to the turbine, the jets of liquid air accelerating the gaseous air flowing through said nozzles, an exhaust chamber at the exhaust end of the turbine provided with openings for the exhaust of the air, and air supply pipes conducting air from said exhaust chamber to the circular chamber.

2. In a multistage turbine using liquid air as a power fluid, a casing, a stator and a rotor, each provided with blades, a circular gaseous air chamber near the admission and of the turbine, nozzles of varying cross section arranged between said admission end of the turbine and the circular gaseous air chamber, a liquid air supply means, including a liquid air manifold, jet producing nozzles for liquid air, projecting through said circular chamber into the nozzles of varying cross section with the ends of the jet nozzles arranged near the narrowest cross section of said nozzles of varying cross section, in order to exercise an accelerating action on'the gaseous air flowing through said nozzles, an exhaust air chamber at the exhaust end of the turbine, pipes leading from said exhaust chamber to said circular gaseous air chamber, an outer closed shell surrounding said turbine casing, said pipes and said liquid air manifold, said shell being provided with a central opening near the admission end of the turbine, said turbine casing being moreover provided with exhaust openings near the exhaust end leading into the space between the said turbine casing and the outer closed surrounding shell, the exhaust air escaping through said openings flowing along said casing, pipes and manifold to the opening in the shell near the admission end.

3. In a multistage turbine for the use of liquid air as a power fluid, a stator and a rotor provided with blades, said stator and rotor consisting of a plurality of sections each section having an admission and an exhaust end, a circular chamber filled with gaseous air in front of the first rotor section, speed accelerating circular nozzles for admitting gaseous air into the first section, arranged between the said circular chamber and the flrst rotor section at the admission end of the turbine, liquid air injector nozzles concentrically arranged with the aforesaid nozzles, and a liquid air manifold supplying said liquid air injector nozzles arranged outside the turbine, an exhaust air chamber arranged in front of the rotor section following the first section near the admission end of the turbine and communicating with the end of the said preceding rotor section,

another circular chamber arranged in front of said exhaust air chamber, circular speed accelerating nozzles arranged between it and the said exhaust chamber, liquid air injector nozzles concentrically arranged with said speed accelerating nozzles, exhaust chamber at the end of the turbine, supply pipes conducting air from said exhaust chamber to the circular chamber supplying the speed accelerating nozzles, a liquid air manifold arranged outside of said stator for supplying the liquid air injector nozzles, the rotor section arranged behind the first section being thus supplied with air from three sources arranged one behind the other and an exhaust air chamber to exhaust expanded gaseous air.

4. In a multistage turbine using liquid air as a power fluid, a turbine casing, a stator and a rotor, each provided with blades, an air chamber near the admission end of the turbine, nozzles leading from said chamber into the interior of the turbine, nozzles for injecting liquid air passing through said chamber and projecting into the first named nozzles for producing liquid air jets, capable of producing a simultaneous flow of liquid and gaseous air into the turbine, liquid air supply means connected with said liquid air injecting nozzles, an exhaust chamber at the exhaust end of the turbine for the exhaust of excess expanded air, a housing enclosing the exhaust chamber, means for raising the temperature within said-housing including compressor blades attached to the rotor, an air collecting chamber within said housing surrounding said compressor blades and pipe connections leading from said collecting chamber to the gaseous air chamber at the admission end oi the turbine.

5. In a multistage turbine using liquid air in a power fluid, a turbine casing, a stator and a rotor, each provided with blades, an air chamber near the admission and of the turbine, nozzles leading from said chamber into the interior of the turbine, nozzles for injecting liquid air passing through said chamber and projecting into the first named nozzles for producing liquid air Jets,

6 capable of producing a simultaneous flow of liquid and gaseous air into the turbine, liquid air supply means connected with said liquid air injecting nozzles, an exhaust chamber at the exhaust end of the turbine for the exhaust of excess expanded air, a housing enclosing the exhaust chamber, means for raising the tempera ture within said housing including compressor blades attached to the rotor, an air collecting chamber within said housing surrounding said compressor blades, pipe connections leading from said collecting chamber to .the gaseous air chamber at the admission end of the turbine, a shaft, bearings for said shaft, a lubrication circulation system for said bearings, said system including heating coils within said air collecting chamber, and pipe connections between each bearing and one of said heating coils.

EUGENE F. OSBORNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 575,714 Heinzerling Jan. 26, 1897 671,608 Ostergren -1 Apr. 9, 1901 750,974 Holzwarth Feb. 2, 1904 1,012,813 Chaleil Dec. 26, 1911 1,071,887 Curtis Sept. 2, 1913- 1,28l,644 Ostergren Oct. 15, 1918 1,978,837 Forsling Oct. 30, 1934 2,046,314 Benkly July 7, 1936 2,393,808 Ponomarefi Jan. 29, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 26,633 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1909 111,381 Great Britain Nov. 29, 1917 254,331 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1927 376,945 France June 26, 1907 263,681 Italy Nov. 27, 1929 126,039 Switzerland June 1, i928 

